


To Ebb Away The Artblock

by kingfauna



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 10:56:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16831255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingfauna/pseuds/kingfauna
Summary: “You doing okay?” Akira asked, resting his chin atop the artist's sharp shoulder. He felt a pair of hands rest on top of his in response, and yet another sigh escaped his lips. “You don't look like you're doing okay.” he admitted, though reluctantly as he didn't want to upset him more.“I.. I believe I'm alright.” the taller boy spoke, though Akira was not at all convinced by his tone. His inability to paint or be inspired was weighing on him gravely and it was obvious. Though he would never know firsthand how awful it felt, merely seeing Yusuke upset was enough for him to understand. It hurt to see him upset.“No, you're not--”“I know I'm not.” Yusuke cut in sharply. “I've laboured effortlessly at merely trying to come up with an idea, but yet my attempts are nothing short of fruitless.”





	To Ebb Away The Artblock

**Author's Note:**

> This was done a year ago for the Steal Your Heart Shukita zine hosted by Oujimarch! My fic was done to accompany the lovely drawing-aqua's piece, which you can find a preview for here!  
> http://drawing-aqua.tumblr.com/post/165366870367/cropped-previews-of-my-piece-for-the  
> (I don't believe she has posted the full piece yet but I will update this when she does!)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this fic! ; v ;  
> (and I'm so sorry if any of the formatting is janky!! it formatted a little weirdly from google docs to ao3)

Leblanc was quiet as Akira finally settled into his bed for the night. Morgana was curled at the end of his bed, settled in a spot that would soon cause Akira grief, in fear of accidentally bumping the cat with even the slightest shift as he tried to make himself comfortable. Or, worst case scenario, kick him off the bed completely by accident.  
It took him a little longer than normal to decide on eventually splaying his legs on either side of Morgana as the ideal position to sleep in, but just as he closed his eyes, he was stirred awake by the familiar chime of his ringtone. This was certainly not an uncommon occurrence, but that didn’t mean it was an unwelcome one. His friends often had a tendency to text him in the middle of night to make plans or to let him know they would be dropping Leblanc the next day, but he really did wish sometimes they could tell him sooner rather than dead in the middle of the night.  
Morgana awoke to the chime as well, lifting his body from the spot at the foot of the bed and blearily looking in Akira's general direction. “Huh..? Who could it be at this hour..?” he asked, as he always would.

Reluctantly, the raven-haired boy fished his phone out of his pocket only to be greeted by the familiar icon of a rather eccentric artist he knew all-too well, followed by a string of visibly distressed messages. He wouldn't say it was urgent, per se, as he skimmed over the texts he could tell it was purely art-related and had nothing to do with the other boy's life being in danger... thankfully. God, sometimes Yusuke could really be dramatic. Not that he had issues with the drama either. Sure, sometimes it was a bit over the top and dragged on for far too long, but there were times where it was cute and rather interesting to listen to his tangents.  
Judging by the final text, it seemed that Yusuke would be dropping by Leblanc the next day and occupy the booth closest to the door, sketchbook and pencil in hand, sketching out the cafe he'd captured on paper several times before already, as well as the very few customers that happened to drop by that day. He could only wonder what still drew the artist in to this particular cafe anymore. Wouldn't he want to vary his sketches and surroundings a little more?

He sent out a quick reply of just 'Alright, see you tomorrow.' and slid his phone back into his pocket. He looked down at his feet to see that Morgana had long gone back to sleeping in the same spot.  
Without moving his legs too much to bother the sleeping cat, he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to wash over him. Maybe he would spend time with Yusuke tomorrow.  
But for tonight, he could only hope he wouldn't be taken to the Velvet Room.

\---

The next morning came all-too soon. With what little sleep he had gotten, Akira dressed himself for the day and headed down for his usual breakfast of coffee and curry with Sojiro. Futaba didn't join them this morning, which came as a bit of a disappointment to Akira. He didn't mind her company, even if it was just to occasionally glance her way and strike up brief idle talk while she tapped away at code that he could never even begin to wrap his head around. Sojiro was plenty company himself, but there were days where Futaba's extra company was a good start to push through the rest of the day.  
When he finished his meal, Sojiro had him do the dishes before any customers (or Yusuke) would start filing into the cafe. 'Filing in' was a bit of an overstatement. If the old cafe owner was lucky, the best he could get today is two overstaying couples, one incredibly prying detective and one whole space-occupying Yusuke.  
He laughed quietly at the thought as he finished the last of the dishes.

The dishes were done long before a single person showed up. Akira retreated to his room for some time to read through decent handful of pages of the latest book he picked up, before he heard Sojiro calling him down to let him know 'his friend' had arrived. In a matter of seconds, the book was returned to his desk with a bookmark placed between the pages. He told Morgana to stay put as he promised a swift return. Should they end up leaving the cafe at any point, he assured the cat that he would return to gather his belongings and save a spot for him in his bag so he could be carried around as he was used to.  
When he made it down to the main floor of the cafe, he was greeted by the familiar face of his favourite blue-haired artist. His lips tugged into a smile, only to quickly disappear upon spotting a giant canvas that was propped up on the seating of the booth. How was he planning on using such a big canvas in the limited space the booth provided? Or was he hoping to use the attic...?

“Ah, Akira!” he was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as Yusuke greeted him.

He lifted his hand in greeting, then promptly slid it back into his pocket. His smile returned and he started making his way towards the other boy.

“A pleasure as always to see you, Akira.” Maybe it cheesy to admit it aloud, but Yusuke's voice always found a way to bring warm and fuzzy feelings to his heart. There was something about how deep and smooth his voice was that drew him in.

“Yeah, you too.” though his words were short and usually to-the-point, he knew the other boy wouldn't interpret them as anything less than him merely never being open to talking much. There was never malice intended behind his words, especially not towards Yusuke.

“Well,” he heard the artist start, watching as he reached to place a hand atop the canvas. “I was hoping you would be so kind as to lend me your room today. It seems my inspiration of late has been lacking.” The blue haired boy's featured contorted into a frown. If Akira knew him well enough (which he did), artblock of any kind would plague the other phantom thief without end. Sometimes it would follow him into the metaverse and greatly affect his performance. If he could help him through it sooner in any way he could, then he would.

The shorter boy nodded to him, signalling his approval. He didn't mind, really. He did plan on spending his day with Yusuke after all.  
“Sure, why not.” he said. He was quick to add, “Why a canvas today? Just wondering.” as he stood by idly with his hands in his pockets, thumbs brushing along the hems, watching the other boy gather a stray bag which he only assumed was filled with various painting supplies.

“I thought perhaps painting traditionally could do wonders for my inspiration. I've done nothing but mere pencil sketches this past month that I've come to miss the feeling of my brush gliding along the canvas. However, the dorms are no place to be painting while lacking muse, and I do quite enjoy your company. Though I wouldn't say this is the best choice I could come up with, it'll have to suffice.” he explained, reaching for the canvas as he spoke, nudging it towards the the shorter boy.  
Akira got the hint, taking his hands out of his pockets to collect the large canvas he was being prompted to pick up. With a nod intended to acknowledge both his words and the unspoken request, he placed his hands on either side of the canvas and heaved it up with ease.  
“I see,” he said, then started the short trek back to the attic with Yusuke in tow. “Worst case—no, best case scenario, you could paint me.” he mused, cocking an eyebrow and letting a smirk play about his lips. He heard a hum of approval from the other boy and to be completely honest, he was rather surprised that there was any possibility he could serve as a muse at all.  
“ Yes, you are correct. Though perhaps another time. Such would be a waste of a canvas.” Akira was about to protest at his words, admittedly a little offended, when he heard the other speak up again. “In my current state, I could not do your wondrous form justice.”  
He was a little relieved to know he at least wasn't too ugly for Yusuke's standards. Actually, he was more than just a little relieved... they were dating, after all.  
“Thanks..” he mumbled quietly as they made it up the stairs, a blush creeping onto his face.

“WHOA there!” Morgana yelled, springing up onto his feet. “Just WHAT are you planning to do?! Akira's blushing AND you have a pretty big canvas..” he was putting the pieces pieces together instantly, coming up with whatever conclusion he could. Akira wasn't sure he wanted to know what conclusion he had come to, but he knew he was about to find out anyway. “Don't tell me.. you're not going to 'bare it all' for him, are you?!”  
Akira honestly wished he could die. Or seep through the cracks of the floorboards like goo and never have to return to face Morgana again. He wasn't sure he could look his own cat in the eyes anymore after this.  
“Oh, that's not a terrible idea at all. But I'm afraid that will have to be some other time.” Yusuke sounded as though he was genuinely pondering the idea, but he wasn't about to turn around and see for himself. Sure, some other time would have been fine, but not in front of Morgana. Hell no.  
Morgana jumped down from the table he was standing on, landing safely on all four paws.

“Fine, I'll go walk around the streets. But don't you get up to any funny business, okay? I'll be back soon!” he warned, and with that he moved past the two teenage boys and made his way down the stairs.  
Even with Morgana gone, Akira still couldn't turn to look at Yusuke. Instead, he swallowed hard and moved forward, going to set the canvas down at last, propping it against the table by the stairs.  
“Hey, you didn't bring an easel right?” he asked, then taking a moment to glance around the room in search of some sort of substitute for one.

Yusuke shook his head, lowering himself onto the floor along with his bag of supplies.  
“No. The floor is fine, however. I will make do with what is given to me.” he answered, placing the bag beside him and searching for the particular supplies he needed.

Akira nodded.  
“Do you mind if I play games or read a book while you paint, then?” He asked.

“Yes, of course. Do feel free. I will keep to myself and paint while you stay occupied. It is best I am not interrupted anyhow.”

And with that, he left the artist to his corner of the room.

\---

There were long hours of silence that passed between them, only disrupted by the sounds of distant chattering from the floor below them. He only briefly caught wind of some conversations between Sojiro and customers, or vaguely of the news which mostly consisted of Akechi on absolutely every channel at least once. He could only keep himself entertained for so long, but he didn't have the heart to leave his boyfriend to tend to other things. Yusuke did admit earlier that his company was well appreciated and he wasn't about to take that away from him.  
From time to time he would steal a glance in the taller boy's direction, only to see that he had made no progress with his piece. The canvas remained blank. The boy remained unmoved. And the paint bottled remained closed and untouched.  
Akira frowned. He knew art was a lengthy process, and he knew that finding the motivation and inspiration alike to begin a piece was a difficult task in itself. However, he was certain that things would continue this way for many more hours to come.

He lifted himself off the bed and joined Yusuke, lowering himself onto the floor. He sighed lightly and slid his arms around his thin frame, holding him in a comforting embrace. The other boy didn't move. He allowed himself to be held, sighing as well.  
“You doing okay?” Akira asked, resting his chin atop the artist's sharp shoulder. He felt a pair of hands rest on top of his in response, and yet another sigh escaped his lips. “You don't look like you're doing okay.” he admitted, though reluctantly as he didn't want to upset him more.  
“I.. I believe I'm alright.” the taller boy spoke, though Akira was not at all convinced by his tone. His inability to paint or be inspired was weighing on him gravely and it was obvious. Though he would never know firsthand how awful it felt, merely seeing Yusuke upset was enough for him to understand. It hurt to see him upset.  
“No, you're not--”  
“I know I'm not.” Yusuke cut in sharply. “I've laboured effortlessly at merely trying to come up with an idea, but yet my attempts are nothing short of fruitless.”  
Frowning, Akira scuttled closer, pressing a hesitant kiss to his boyfriend's cheek. He still had yet to understand how to properly cheer him up, but he was doing the best he could manage.  
“...Thank you.” Yusuke said quietly, lowering his head. He fell silent after that, which was far too unsettling for Akira's tastes.

The raven-haired boy laced their fingers together with both hands.

He lowered his chin back down onto his shoulder and lifted his arm to check the time on his watch, all while still keeping their fingers locked together.  
“It's pretty much time to eat. Sojiro should be expecting us down any minute now. How about you come down for supper with me and hopefully that gives you enough time to change your ideas?” he offered. He knew Yusuke would never turn down an opportunity for free food, and if he did, then he knew something was severely wrong with him. But as expected, the taller boy's head lifted at the mention of free food.  
“That's a splendid idea and I will gladly accept your courteous offer. Shall we be headed then?”

With a laugh, he loosened his hold and pulled his hands free. Now that was the Yusuke he knew and loved. Not to say he didn't still love him even through hard times and unsightly moods, but this was one of his favorite quirks of his. He never had any qualms about feeding him. Hell, if he could, he would gladly have him over more often. But he wasn't entirely sure if Sojiro would mind or if Morgana would throw a fit on a daily basis.  
“Lead the way.” he said, and they promptly rose to their feet and headed down the stairs into the cafe, where they were greeted by Sojiro and the strong mingling smells of delicious curry and fresh home-brewed coffee. He could never get tired of these smells. They felt homely to him. They made him feel at ease.

They didn't have to wait long before Sojiro served them a hot plate of curry each along with a cup of steaming coffee. They spoke idly with Sojiro as the ate, and part-way through their meals at some point Morgana had rejoined them, taking up a stool beside Akira. Their chatter consisted of no more than vague topics or comments on the news, and every-so-often a word of praise and approval from Yusuke at how delicious the food was. He was never really addressed directly and even if he was, the raven-haired boy's mind was constantly wandering astray. His thoughts were solely filled with various ideas on how else he could help his boyfriend overcome his artblock. That, or at least get his mind off of it entirely.  
He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard Yusuke speak again, this time coinciding with his own thoughts.

“I'm not entirely certain what would be the best course of action from here on out. Should I take up various new mediums and means of exploration? If so, where do I begin?”

It was around this time that Sojiro was beginning to tune out of their conversation, going to strike up a conversation with the only customers there instead. Sometimes he had to try to keep them around, albeit poorly.

“I cannot allow this lack of inspiration to continue any longer. I have a desire to create, and I must quench it without haste.” he decided. “However, I am still uncertain where to begin.”

Akira understood where he was coming from, but he thought it best to take things slow. Rushing back into art the moment they were done with their food would probably only cause the artist more grief than success. If anything, right now he needed to help him ease into a calmer state of mind so he wouldn't overthink and over stress himself. But how was he planning on accomplishing that?  
It amazed him how easily he had missed the perfect solution.  
“Why don't we go for a walk when we're done eating?” he suggested abruptly. Worried that he would upset his boyfriend any more than he already was due to ignoring his desire to take his artblock head on, he spoke again. “I think you should clear your mind first. Take things easy. You can always try and paint again tomorrow... my attic will be open for you.” he offered, turning his head to smile at him. It was a promise he would uphold. He really didn't mind spending another day with him if it made him in any way happy.

“Are you certain? Would it truly be wise to abandon the idea of painting for tonight?” he paused, hesitating, perhaps entertaining the idea in his mind. “No, you are correct. I fathom I will make nothing but ill progress if I try so soon. Thank you, Akira. I would be delighted to go on a walk with you. I will keep my senses open for inspiration to strike while we are out.”

\---

They had settled for walking down the streets of Shibuya, effortlessly spending hours at various stores, briefly examining merchandise of all kinds, making loose offhand comments at some that stuck out to them whether for good or bad reasons, yet never once spending money on either of said merchandise. By the end of the stretch of road, where the stores gradually stopped extending ahead of them, Akira gave a gentle tug on their intertwined fingers and slowed his pace, hoping the taller boy would understand that he wanted to take a short break. Thankfully, Yusuke got the message and slowed his pace as well until they were both stopped in the middle of a practically unoccupied alleyway.

Akira moved to face the other boy and raise one hand to delicately place it on Yusuke's cheek. He saw the hesitation at first, but eventually he felt the artist relax into his touch. A smile blossomed on his face and having it reciprocated only made his heart flutter more.  
“Are you feeling better?” he asked warmly, his gaze locked with the other's.

Yusuke was silent for a moment. He allowed himself to take in the sight of Akira smiling before him and the feeling of his hand placed tenderly on his cheek while their hands were locked together. It felt like a promise. A promise that Akira would always be there for him in his time of need. A promise that maybe, just maybe, Akira really did love him.  
He left out a soft exhale, briefly tearing his gaze.  
“Thank you, Akira. Really, thank you. You've done so much for me today and for that I must thank you. I am grateful for this opportunity to have a change of scenery and to have spent this time with you.”

Blushing, Akira averted his gaze as well.  
“It's nothing, really. I'm glad it helped... did you get any inspiration from it at all?” While the point of the walk wasn't necessarily to draw inspiration, there was nothing but benefit if it did stir anything in the artist.

Yusuke hesitated for a moment. Cautiously, he lifted his gaze to Akira's face. While the other’s eyes were still averted, he felt a small surge of confidence spike through his fleeting nervousness.  
“Akira, I..” he began to smile through his words. “I found inspiration in spending time with you and in your love..” When Akira lifted his gaze to meet Yusuke's, the taller boy only smiled wider. “And in your smile.” he added, which worked like a charm and caused the shorter boy to smile almost instantly.

In a spur-of-the-moment decision, they both leaned closer until their lips met in a gentle kiss, then another, and another. Always gentle. Always loving.

Akira was the first to pull back despite the desire to continue. It was beginning to get late and they both had classes the next day.  
“Hey, Yusuke? Promise me you'll come by tomorrow and try to paint again.”  
He felt the taller boy's lips press to the top of his head, kissing into his hair.

“Of course. I promise to capture your love in my art, Akira.”  
That was a promise Akira could gladly look forward to.

Tomorrow, he could look forward to spending another day showing him just how much he loved him.  
And that was something Yusuke could look forward to.


End file.
